Behrend

Penn State Erie offers online depression screening

Each year on National Depression Screening Day (NDSD) in October, more than 8,000 colleges, hospitals, community organizations and workplaces offer individuals an opportunity to be screened for symptoms of depression. In 2004 Penn State Erie ranked number four among the college NDSD screening sites across the country, screening 293 individuals online and with written surveys.

"At Behrend we care, and we go out of our way to make depression screening available for everyone in the Behrend community," said Sue Daley, staff psychologist and head of the personal counseling office at the college. "We take a proactive approach, going to a variety of classrooms and sites on campus. Our goal is to demystify depression and provide resources for students who may want support."

NDSD has taken place for the past 15 years, and Penn State Erie has observed the day for the past five years. In 2004, Erie screened the fourth-largest number of people at colleges, behind Harvard University Health Services, Bridgewater State College Counseling Center and Georgetown College. More than 105,000 screenings took place across the United States during the one-day NDSD event.

The screening instrument used for NDSD was designed by Mental Health Inc. The National Institute of Mental Health is a sponsor of NDSD. Anyone can take the five- to 10-minute screening for depression by going to https://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/loginpage.asp and entering the keyword "feelgood." This site will be available until September.

Last Updated March 20, 2009

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